London Vibes

Tired after a long flight to London, but rallying!

Honestly, London wasn’t a place I planned on going during this trip. Afternoon tea and Big Ben are cool and all, but in my mind they lacked the appeal and romance of the piazzas, pizzas, and pasta of Italy or the beautiful baked goods in the boulangeries of Paris.

But as luck would have it, the best flights to Europe that I could find using my credit card points all landed in London, so I said “Cheerio!” to the U.S. and crossed the pond over to the U.K.

I decided to stay for two nights at the beginning of my trip, and one night at the end since my return flight was also leaving from Heathrow. 

My hotel was naturally located above a classic British Pub- The Wellington. Directly across from Waterloo station and not too far from the London Eye, it was honestly a perfect location. I arrived a bit earlier than check-in, so I dropped off my luggage and took a ride on the London Eye just to cross it off the bucket list.

View of Big Ben from the London Eye

I came back to the pub, gladly accepted a free welcome beer from the owner, and had a nice chat with a local bloke named Stuart who made some suggestions on things to check out in the city.

My room was tiny, but nice enough. For some reason however, I apparently booked a room without A/C. I assume my thought process during the planning phase of this trip was “London doesn’t get that hot. It’s only two nights. It’s a great location and reasonably priced, plus free breakfast!” All of these things are true, except that London somehow did get that hot during the two days I was there…98 degrees! Thankfully there was a window to open and a small fan which helped.

Anyhow, I had made reservations for dinner that evening at St. John, a legendary London institution heralded by Anthony Bourdain. The nose to tail cuisine of owner Fergus Henderson has helped dispel some of the claims of British food being bland and boring.

I ordered their infamous roasted bone marrow, served with toast and parsley salad, and the special of the night, the roasted guinea fowl with mash. Both were simply plated, wonderfully seasoned, and perfectly cooked. Not overly complex or fussy, they were simple, delicious and hearty. I would eat here anytime I am in London.

Bone Marrow at St. John

As with any new metropolis I visit, I found myself itching for a solid cocktail, and thus found myself sitting at the Scarfes Bar inside of the Rosewood Hotel. It’s a dark, swanky hotel bar dedicated to cartoonist Gerald Scarfes, whose artwork adorns the walls. I had two very delicious, complex, well-crafted cocktails to cap off the night.

Cocktail at Scarfes Bar

The next morning, I went downstairs to the pub to enjoy the complimentary breakfast, and was delighted when I saw the classic full english breakfast was an option. Eggs, baked beans, a pork banger, bacon, black pudding (a cakey slice of blood sausage), mushrooms, grilled tomato and toast loaded me up for a long day. 

Full English at my hotel

The week before my trip I was having a drink at one of my favorite bars in Sacramento and struck up on conversation with an older couple. We started talking about travel and I mentioned my upcoming Europe trip. The couple said that I absolutely had to visit the Tate Modern. 

House inside of a former power station, the Tate Modern is perhaps the best modern art museum I have been to. The transformation of the space from power station into a museum is an amazing example of art and utility combining to create something both functional and impressively beautiful. 

The museum has multiple levels and dozens of different exhibition rooms, including a very cool live art performance/installation space downstairs called The Tanks. Formerly housing gigantic oil tanks, these unique galleries provide a large space for some very creative pieces that combine light, sound, sculpture and many other mediums. 

Dali piece at Tate Modern

One of the current exhibitions was “In A Perpetual Remix Where Is My Own Song?” by Christelle Oyiri. It featured cast bronze sculptures of a woman in different poses of transformation, mounted on speakers. Projected on a large wall behind the sculptures was a film that combined historical footage, memes, cartoons, and original footage shot by the artist. It was complex, loud, captivating, intriguing, and served as a commentary on digital connection and beauty standards. 

It was honestly one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

There were also some great pieces from legendary artists like Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol, and tons of interesting installations from artists of today. The Tate Modern is definitely worth the visit when in London. 

After the museum I headed over to Convent Gardens in the West End, a nice fashion and dining district that is popular with tourists. I wasn’t interested in any shopping, but I walked around a bit, and decided that an afternoon tea was appropriate. I found a nice cafe with a patio and enjoyed a couple of pots of tea along with the traditional finger sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, and sweet little pastries that accompany a proper afternoon tea. 

Although I had plans for dinner, there was one thing I knew I needed to eat while in London: Nando’s. The smokey, spicey, savory South African peri peri chicken from Nando’s is one of those things people can’t help but crave. I had it once somewhere in Asia, and as there aren’t very many in the U.S., I had to have some while in London. I just got a simple grilled chicken breast, medium spicy, but it hit the spot.

Walking back towards my hotel after Nando’s, I stumbled upon The Vaults, a section of tunnels and railway arches under Waterloo Station that features amazing graffiti and live art performances. The graffiti in the tunnels is overwhelming, intricate, original, and quite staggering. There are often people creating art right there on the spot, and there are also some interesting performing art and event spaces in the area as well. I’ve never seen anything like it.

In The Vaults

I’ve watched quite a few spy movies, and every great spy always has a contact in whatever foreign city their travels take them to. In London, my contact is a lovely, intelligent, industrious, illustrious young lady named Jen. Jen lives in London and is kind of like a play cousin or something like that I suppose? My mom’s best friend Charlene, who is essentially an aunt or second mom to me, is kind of like Jen’s second mom too. When Jen was living in Virginia, she met my Auntie Charlene through church and they became very close, so close in fact, Auntie Charlene went to visit Jen in Europe a few years ago and they hung out in Paris. I had met Jen in Sacramento when she came to visit for Thanksgiving last year. I thought she was very cool and told her if I ever came to London I would hit her up, so I did.

Tartare & Caviar

We met for dinner at a beautiful rooftop restaurant she had picked out called Seabird. Seabird was a perfect spot: lovely creative tapas, wonderful wine and cocktails, and the most beautiful sunset views of London. The beef tartare with caviar on toast was quite lovely, as was the company and conversation with Jen.

The view at Seabird

After a lovely dinner, Jen was kind enough to walk me back to Waterloo Station by my hotel and we made plans to have dinner when I came back to London in a few weeks. Then it was off to bed for me, I had my flight to Rome the next day.